Texas school districts will be required to hire teachers with multiple credentials and improve family engagement to qualify for prekindergarten grants from $118 million in newly available state money.
New grant rules will require that all pre-K teachers have an additional credential beyond what is currently required, including having at least eight years of teaching experience in a nationally accredited child-care program or an undergraduate or graduate degree in early-childhood education.
According to the National Institute for Early Education Research, Texas does better than most states in providing prekindergarten education—about half its 4-year-olds are in such programs. But Texas loses ground in the quality of their education.
